So instead of a discount that is theoretically useful to every buyer toward a future purchase of any product, you pay full price to get an exclusive that you might not even want, or if you shop elsewhere you don't get an exclusive you might have wanted. Does it really need to be explained further how an unnamed exclusive is a lousy idea? Compared to a straight discount or giving every customer of their product all of the items that belong to that figure?

If they are truly insistent on the exclusive thing, then do the customer-focused thing of at least offering their fans who purchased their product from other retailers (from whom MMC're still getting a cut!) a way to purchase the exclusive item from PSX. Then no customer is fully disenfranchised, as they all have a way to purchase the extra item directly and MMC/PSX still makes money on every item sold and twice from those who elect to purchase the exclusive item additionally from PSX. Then everyone who wants an extra gun or whatever, can get one and PSX actually gets more total business out of it.

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Things like exclusives build hype just as a talking point. On the theory that there's no such thing as bad press, merely discussing the fact that there's an exclusive is going to pique the interest of those that didn't know about it and potentially draw in customers otherwise untapped. The cost for the exclusive is minimal, and I think for most people the impact of an exclusive is negligible.

While I don't believe that artificial scarcity or rarity is necessarily "anti-consumer" or "anti-collector" (especially since most collectors base their entire hobby around obtaining rare or exclusive items), I do understand that it's frustrating when we're forced to make a choice between our favored retailer versus a less favored one over a risk of missing out on something interesting. I feel similar frustrations when there are con "exclusives" even when I know they'll probably show up on an e-tailer site 2 months later (Looking at you, Dakar Rally Terrageas (sp)).

Ultimately, I say we comment with our currency. Honestly, if enough people simply fail to buy from PSX, exclusive be damned, then the marketing ploy didn't work and they'll be forced to reassess next time. Just my thoughts on it. Hell, I didn't even know about Felisaber's penguin until about 2 months after owning him...